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The company announced the feature on its blog and stressed that, like the messages, location sharing will be end-to-end encrypted to avoid hackers or authorities intercepting the data.

Users will be able to select how long they want their location shared for and it can be disabled at any time.

This photo illustration shows the Whatsapp application logo (C) on a smartphone screen in Beijing on September 26, 2017. Chinese authorities appear to have severely disrupted the WhatsApp messaging app in the latest step to tighten censorship as they prepare for a major Communist Party congress next month. / AFP PHOTO / NICOLAS ASFOURI (Photo credit should read NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)

"Whether you're meeting up with friends, letting loved ones know you're safe, or sharing your commute, Live Location is a simple and secure way to let people know where you are," WhatsApp explained.

WhatsApp didn't specify an exact launch date for the new feature, but simply said it would be rolling out to mobile users "in the coming weeks".